The previous gouges will fairly accurate. Some things have changed though.
First off, definitely arrive at Ops by 730am. The shuttle from the hotel will leave at 7:15am and will get you to Ops at about 7:25am. Just check in with the front desk to verify times and put your name down on the list.
Depending on where you are coming from you will most likely arrive into Portland later in the evening. If you can get there towards the morning or early afternoon I would definitely recommend it and here’s why: If you have not flown 6 pack for a while you are going to want to rent a car and got to Hillsboro Aviation in Troutdale and play around on the sim that will be used for the sim interview. Also the sim is very twitchy and incredibly sensitive. Previous gouges talked about pitch sensitivity, its everything sensitivity. Get some practice in if you can! That being said, the sim is still manageable and you only needs to worry about the flaps, gear, and power.
Arriving at 7:30am you will be greeted by someone who will direct you and your fellow interviewees where to sit. There you will wait until someone, usually an HR rep, will stop by and brief you on how the process will work. They are very friendly and will do their best to make you feel comfortable and not threatened. They will also grab all the paperwork they had you fill prior to the interview so that they may review it. Don’t worry if you made a mistake, they will help you out. Don’t be surprised if other people that have nothing to do with the interview will stop by to say hello and introduce themselves. Horizon is a company that prides itself on being friendly and comfortable.
Eventually, in no particular order, you will do the HR interview, interview with the chief pilot, and do the technical interview. All three interviews are very relaxing and non-threatening. They may also tell you before you start altogether that you are in no way competing with your fellow candidates. They have the interviews set up with the candidates that they want, meaning that they want you to fly with them; they are just looking at if you are ready to fly with them.
Anyway, on to the goods:
The HR Interview is pretty easy. They just ask the required DOT questions about your driving records, crimes, and what not. They were probably ask you why you want to fly with Horizon, what are your long term goals, basic HR questions; they are just trying to get to know you and see if you are a fit for the company.
The Chief Pilot Interview is pretty much the same. They are just looking at who you are and if you are someone that they can sit on a 4 hour flight without wanting to stab you in the face at the end. Every airline is going to look at you this way. If you are annoying, no matter how qualified you are they probably won’t want you. So just be yourself and be friendly. They will ask what got you into aviation, why Horizon, where do you want to go, stressful situation in your current or previous job, any Unsats for stage checks or checkrides, and general questions and conversation. I had 4 unsats on stage checks, one of which was a checkride and they still took me. Just be up front about it and own what happened; everyone makes mistakes. The chief pilot is super friendly and fun to talk to so don’t be intimidated.
The technical interview was what I was most nervous for. I looked up the duty and rest period regulations for domestic and flag operations, instrument stuff, made flash cards, and made sure everything was memorized before I got there.. The route that they showed us what Pullman (PUW) to Lewiston (LWS). It is short and an actual route that they do. We were asked how we would plan the route using the victor airways, the departure procedures, how you would enter the hold, speed limits for the hold, what approach would you use based on the weather and NOTAMS given to you. We were also asked how we would get a clearance if you were at an uncontrolled field and other basic IFR questions. I was more nervous for it than I needed to be; it was a breeze.
After those 3 interviews, if you did well enough, you will go do the sim at Hillsboro Aviation in Troutdale. We started with 4 people and 3 of us did the sim. If you do not get asked to do the sim they will not tell you why they don’t want you. They will just pull you aside and let you know that you can take the shuttle back to the hotel and that’s it.
The scenario for the sim was easy. The speeds are the same as the previous gouges except the flaps/gear speed is 150 knots. We just took off, did a couple climbs/descents and turns; basic attitude instrument flight skills. Then we intercepted the ILS in PDX, if we saw the runway we would land and if not, go missed. Simple. However, as mentioned in the beginning the sim is very sensitive and it is a six pack. Just keep your scan up and makes small pressures on the controls. Do not try to move them. Just back in your private pilot training; control pressures, not movements.
After that you go back to Ops and then they will call you back one by one and let you know what they thought. Then it’s back to the hotel for the night or go catch your flight or ride. Nothing to it!
Good luck everyone! |
